The world's first commercial space travel agency founded by Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic has a new president at its test flight/launching facility, Mojave Air and Space Port.

According to a press release, CEO of Virgin Galactic, George Whitesides, announced the appointment of Steven J. Isakowitz as President of Virgin Galactic LLC. Since joining the company in 2011, Isakowitz had served as executive vice president and chief technology officer and will continue to report directly to Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company.

“Steve has been an invaluable leader for our team since he joined the company,” Whitesides said in a press release. “This new position will enable him to take a wider role in company responsibilities as we progress through the final phases of the development program, expand in preparation for commercial operations, and build our small satellite launch service.”

Isakowitz said in the press release, “Virgin Galactic is a transformational company and I am honored to take on this new role. As we chart an exciting course into the future of commercial space travel, I could not imagine a better team with which to do it.”

Isakowitz has also served in several senior positions at NASA, where he received the agency’s Outstanding Leadership Medal. Isakowitz also served as chief financial officer of the U.S. Department of Energy. He was also an aerospace engineer and project manager for space launch vehicles at Lockheed Martin.

The company accomplished its first rocket-powered test flight on April 29 and subsequently breaking the sound barrier. Branson was quoted on the company's website that “full space flight' will happen by the end of 2013. Tickets for all seats are $250,000 for more information about tickets and research possibilities, go to virgingalactic.com.

In additional civilian space flight news, on June 17, Virgin Atlantic signed its 600th customer, Marsha Waters, 42-year old business owner from the United Kingdom. And, nearly 50 years to the day after Waters bought tickets, the very first woman was launched into space. Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, aboard Vostok 6, became the first woman to travel into space on June 16, 1963. “After 48 orbits and 71 hours, she returned to earth, having spent more time in space than all U.S. astronauts combined to that date,” according to history.com.